Multicolumn selector



March 3, 1936. E. ROSE MULTICOLUMN SELECTOR Filed June 4, 1935 INVENTOR'ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ternationalBusiness Corporation,

New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application June 4, 1935,Serial No. 24,814

6 Claims (01. 209-410) wear and noise to a minimum? An object is toprovide an improved multicolumn selector which so controls the machinethat the machine operations required to handle a batch of records is theleast number possible.

Another object is to provide an improved multicolumn selector forsorting machines which causes the pocket selecting mechanism to beactuated only when a record is not to be rejected but is to be guided toa predetermined pockets A specific object is to improve the sortingmachine described in Letters Patent No. 1,933,357, granted to Weinlichand Kolm, to reduce wear and noise.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the invention will bespecifically mentioned in the following description and claims or willbe obvious from a study of the description, claims, and drawing.

The drawing consists of a wiring diagram of a sorting machineconstructed in accordance with the above patent as modified and improvedby the invention described hereinafter.

The numeral I designates generally a multicolumn selector commutatorlike the one described in the above patent. Vlhen this commutator isproperly set up to represent a given number punched in the cards whichare to be selected, the commutator will be non-current conductingwhenever a card so punched passes between the contact roll 2 and theanalyzing brushes 3 associated with the commutator I.

If a card is notso punched, however, a circuit will be set up throughone or more of the agcuts of the commutator and one or more of brushes 3as described in the patent.

The numerals 4 and 5 designate the usual single column selector, ofwhich 4 is a multisegment commutator while 5 is a holding segment. Thiscommutator is described in detail in Patent No. 1,741,985. In thepresent case only the holding segment 5 need be considered and it willbe understood that switch S! is in its dotted position to condition themachine for multicolumn selecting operations, thereby disconnectingcommutator 4 from the contact roll 2.

When normal sorting operations are carried out, switch SI is placed inits solid lin'eposition, thereby connecting the contact roll 2 tocommutator I through safety contacts 6 and the contact roll brush 1. Theregular single column sorh'ng brush 8 then replaces the brushes 3 in theusual brush holder. A switch S2 is closed to connect the usual brushrelay RI and sorting magnet SM in a series circuitextending from linewire WI, commutator I, switch SI, contacts 6, brush I, contact roll 2,brush 8, relay RI, switch S2, and sorting magnet SM, to line wire W2.This circuit is established whenever brush 8 encounters a hole of any gvn value in the column of the card traversed by said brush and causesmagnet SM to be energized at the proper point in the cycle to cause thecard to be conveyed to the pocket of corresponding value.

According to this invention, a second relay R2, a commutator 9, and twoadditional switches S3, S4 are provided to controlthe machine incooperation with the multi-column selector commutator I. The commutator9 has a segment of conducting material which. is continuous -withrespect to one of its brushes I0 and discontinuous with respect to theother brush II. This discontinuous portion is of a, length suflicient toelectrically connect brushes II), II, momentarily at the I2 position,that is, at the point in the cycle where brushes 3 cooperate with the "I2 index-point positions of the card. Switch S4, commutator 9, and thecontacts of relay R2 are included in a series circuit extending fromline wire WI, the commutator 5, contacts of relay R2, brushes I 0,commutator 9, brush II. switch S4, and sorting magnetSM, to line wireW2. With switch S4 closed for multi-column selecting operations, theabove described circuit is established at the I2 position of each cycleby commutator 9 and has a tendency to cause all cards to be sorted intothe l2 pocket. When themachine is to operate under control of commutatorI, switches S3, S4 are closed and switch S2 opened, and switch SI, aspreviously stated, placed in its dotted line position.

When the brushes 3 sense the holes in cards designating the given numberset up on commutator I, which cards bearing the given number are to besegregated from all others, nocircult is set up through commutator I asexplained in the Weinlich patent, relay R2 is not energized, and thecommutator 9 becomes eflective to close the circuit through sortingmagnet SM, therebyflexing the sorting blades at the proper point tocause the cards bearing the given number to drop Into the I2" pocket.

0n the other hand, if the holes in the cards designate some number otherthan the given number, a circuit will be established from line wire WI,safety contacts l2, through commutator I, brushes 3, contact roll 2,brush 1, contacts 6, switch SI. relay R2, and switch S3, to line wireW2. Relay R2 opens its contacts and prevents commutator 9 from closingthe circuit through sorting magnet SM. As a result all cards not punchedwith the given number will be conveyed to the reject pocket instead ofbeing conveyed to the I2" pocket.

In the machine described in the patent all cards bearing the givennumber are rejected while all others are diverted to the l2" pocket.This mode of operation has been found to cause unnecessary wear on themachine and excessive noise particularly where the cards to be selectedcomprise only a small proportion of the entire batch. Since the sortingblades and parts directly actuated by the magnet SM are the mostdelicate part of the mechanism of themachine, it is obvious that tooperate this magnet for each card which is to be rejected results inunnecessary wear.

As an illustration, the searching of finger print records of a largecriminal records ofiice, wherein there are several million finger printrecord sheets, is controlled by selective sorting of perforated recordcards each of which represents a single finger print record sheet. Theprincipal problem in this oflice, as in similar finger print bureausthroughout the country, is to find, if possible, the finger print recordsheets which bear the closest resemblance to the finger prints of asuspected person, an unidentified body, or prints obtained at the sceneof a crime or on articles handled by a'criminal.

The searching procedure is simplified to some extent by the method ofclassification but, nevertheless, several hundred thousand records mayhave to be searched in order to locate the few records bearing theclosest resemblance to the ones under consideration. This searchingprocedure is now very much shortened by using a sorting machine equippedwith a multi-column selector like the one disclosed in the patent.Nevertheless, many thousands of cards must be passed through the machineto select the bare handful of cards corresponding to the desired fingerprint record sheets. If, for instance. only 1% of the records searchedare likely to be found of interest, the sorting magnet must operate 99times for each hundred cards merely to select one card. In a batch of50,000 cards, the sorting magnet would have to operate the guide blades49,500 times to select only 500 cards. As the guide blades are ofspring-tempered flexible steel, as shown in the patent. it is obviousthat the blades will be flexed so frequently as to rapidly becomefatiguedand lose their temper much sooner than would be the case undernormal conditions of operation. These blades are fairly expensive sincethere are twelve of them ranging in length from a few inches to severalfeet.

Relays RI, R2, on the other hand, cost only a few cents to make and canbe replaced in a few minutes, whereas to replace the guide bladesentails partly dismantling the machine and readjustment requiring anappreciable amount of time.

When the machine is constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, the magnet SM is operated and hence the blades are flexedonly for a few wanted cards and the only serious wear on the machine isthat due to the abrasive action of the cards on the turned up ends ofthe blades. The effect of flexure fatigue on the blades of a machineconstructed in accordance with this invention is negligible and, sincethe blades are of tempered steel, the abrasive actionof the cards on theblades is not great as the blades resist this form of wear better thanfiexure fatigue.

While there has been shown and described. and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a singleembodiment, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intentiontherefore to be'limited only as indicated by the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is as follows: i

1. In a machine of the class described. a sorting circuit including asorting magnet, means normally tending to close saidcircui-t toeifect apredetermined distribution of records, amulti-column selector settable.to represent cards to be selected, and means controlled'byv saidselector for interrupting said circuit for cards other than those to beselected. v

2. In a machine of the class described, sorting mechanism including asorting magnet for operating said mechanism, means toperiodlcaliyenergize the sorting magnet to normally cause records to be conveyed toa given pocket, a .multi-column selector settable to represent cards tobe selected, and means controlled by said selector for preventingenergizationof the sorting magnet for records other than the ones to.beselected.

3. In a sorting machine,;a card analyzing device; a multi-columnselector= connected .to said device and settable in accordance withpredetermined numbers to select cards designated with such numbers, saidselector. beingv operative to break the circuit through the analyzingdevice only when the designations in the records agree with the numberset up on said selector; a sorting magnet, means tending to periodicallyenergize the sorting magnet, and meansin circuitwith the selector devicefor preventing the first namedmeans from taking effect when. the numbersdesignated on the records disagree withthe number set up on theselector. e

4. In a machine of the classdescribed wherein the sorting mechanismincludes a series of spring guide blades flexed under control of asorting magnet, a sorting circuit including said magnet and also meansto energize the sorting magnet at a predetermined point in each cyclewhereby to operate said blades to cause a card to be convcyc'i to apredetermined point, a relay for intei'lupting said circuit, and amulti-column selector set-table in accordance with predetermined numberswith which some of the cards are desienated and operative to energizesaid relay when numbers on the cards disagree with the number set up onthe selector.

5. In a sorting machine wherein sorting is effected by spring guideblades which are selectively flexed under control of a sorting magnet,the combination with said magnet, of a circuit for controlling saidmagnet with means to periodically close said circuit whereby to causeregular flexing of the blades to guide cards to a given destination,means operable to interrupt said circuit to prevent fiexure of theblades, and a multicolumn selector for controlling the interruptinmeans, said selector being settable in accordance with a given numberwith which certain cards are designated and operating the interruptingmeans only when the numbers in the cards fail to agree with the numberset up on the selector whereby said blades are flexed only when thecards are designated with the predetermined number.

6. In a sorting machine wherein records are sorted by selectivelyflexing a series of flexible guide blades which determine thedistribution of the records, means normally tending to cause flexure ofthe blades at regular intervals to produce a fixed distribution 01' therecords, means operable to prevent flexure of the blades, and amulti-column selector settable in accordance with predetermined numberswith which certain of the records are designated, said selectoroperating the preventing means to prevent flexure of the guide bladeswhenever the numbers on the cards disagree with a number set up on theselector whereby all the cards not designated with said number arerejected.

ERNEST ROSE.

